Michigan State finds footing back on U.S. soil

Nov. 14, 2012
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Michigan State guard Keith Appling (11) lays the ball up for the final basket between Kansas center Jeff Withey (5) and Kevin Young (40) on Tuesday in 2012 Champions Classic in Atlanta. Appling scored 16 of his team-high 19 points in the second half. / Paul Abell, US Presswire

by Nicole Auerbach, USA TODAY Sports

by Nicole Auerbach, USA TODAY Sports

ATLANTA - Michigan State coach Tom Izzo brought his team home from a disappointing loss to Connecticut in Germany and took no mercy on his players.

He scheduled two tough practices for Sunday.

"It was kind of bad," senior Derrick Nix said, prompting laughter from some reporters. "But at the end of the day, we work hard. We don't make excuses for ourselves, and we want our practices to carry over into games."

Said Izzo: "We had energy because we didn't waste any against Connecticut."

Surprise, surprise: An Izzo-coached Michigan State team improved after a season-opening loss. The Spartans beat No. 7 Kansas 67-64 in a thriller at the Georgia Dome Tuesday night.

The two biggest keys to victory for the Spartans? Sixteen second-half points from junior point guard Keith Appling, who emerged as the team's go-to guy with the game on the line, and 18 points from freshman Gary Harris, who scored just 11 against UConn.

"Appling took the game over, and Harris played well," Kansas coach Bill Self said afterward. "Michigan State played, I think, much better than they did in their first game."

For Michigan State, the outcome of the game was less important than the fact that the Spartans looked more like the Spartans you thought they'd be entering the season. The game also served as a a good reminder why they are such a dangerous team; they nearly always improve drastically under Izzo's tutelage throughout the season.

Even in just four days.

Last season, Michigan State started the year unranked and 0-2 after losses to North Carolina and Duke. Then the Spartans reeled off 15 consecutive wins. They earned a share of the Big Ten regular season championship, won the Big Ten tournament and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.

So four days after a shocking loss to UConn, it was no surprise that Michigan State looked like a different team. The Spartans attacked the basket, drew fouls and maintained an intensity missing in their season opener.

"The good news is we got a little bit of our pride and character back after not playing as well (in Germany)," Izzo said. "The trip wasn't easy. â?¦ For them to bounce back after that trip and play not great but with the passion and energy they played with, I thought they did a heck of a job."

Harris was a big part of that. He hit some of the game's biggest shots - including a 3-pointer that tied the game at 49 with just over eight minutes left in Tuesday's game. He also saw a lot of time on the court; his 35 minutes played were second only to Appling on the Michigan State roster.

"I didn't have those first-game jitters like I did in Germany," Harris said.

And, equally important to this team moving forward, Appling carried the team when the game mattered most. He hit a three to give the Spartans their first lead of the second half with 6:54 left in the game.

As the clock ticked down, the ball returned to Harris' hands. He hit two shots to pull the Spartans back within one after a brief 6-0 Kansas run. It was Appling once again with the big shot, a step-back three to put the Spartans up by two possessions with 1:34 left. He topped that in the game's final seconds with a drive to the basket that even got Kentucky fans in the Georgia Dome cheering in appreciation.

The Spartans have been struggling to replace the leadership of Draymond Green, but Appling's late-game heroics and poise show that they've at least found an on-court leader in high-pressure situations. Sixteen of Appling's 19 points came in the second half.

"He did a great job of staying in control," Izzo said, adding that Appling improved his shooting since last season "the old-fashioned way" - locking himself in a gym and taking hundreds of shots until they fell more frequently.